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Let’s Go Fishing volunteers feel the joy of giving

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BRAINERD — Imagine volunteering for an organization where every outing leaves memories for the participants and also the volunteers that can be life-changing.

Let’s Go Fishing is one of those organizations. To be passionate about the mission is an understatement for volunteers Captain Ron Plinske, Loree Besser and longtime First Mate Steve Oslos.

A recent trip from 2023 was especially rewarding for volunteer Plinske. He was on a boat trip for veterans of the Afghan war who were gathered at Cragun’s Resort for a Reuniting After War group. According to Plinske, the trip was so rewarding, it changed his life. He spent the day bobber fishing in the bay with this group of veterans and they experienced the joys of being together just enjoying the day on the water and each other.

Read the Full Story here… Brainerd Dispatch

The Importance of Memorials

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Loren Pumper

What are memorials and why are they important?  While flowers and casseroles are appreciated, one of the most lasting ways to honor a loved one is through a memorial gift to carry on their legacy. It provides a way to keep a place at the table for our loved ones as we go forward in our daily lives.

On Friday, September 9th, the Pumper family honored the amazing legacy of Loren Pumper at the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club attended by over 230 people. Loren was an exceptional father, friend and member of the New Prague community, outdoorsman and an avid fan of Minnesota sports at all levels. The Pumper family chose Let’s Go Fishing Minnesota as the beneficiary of choice given its mission and stellar reputation in providing services to adults, children, veterans, and individuals with disabilities, and the organization so reflects Loren’s interests.

Through the generosity of friends and family, Let’s Go Fishing will already be able to provide 20 boat outings on Minnesota/Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers.  We are also told that more donations will be coming in. If you would still like to honor Loren, please click on:

https://lgfws.com/support-lgf/ and mention Loren Pumper.

Non-profit organizations depend on all kinds of donations to promote their programs and reach their goals.  Let’s Go Fishing is no exception. We pride ourselves on building the communities we serve, while providing a safe and enjoyable outdoor activity utilizing our natural resources. From our volunteers to our clients and staff that handle their care, we are just grateful — THANK YOU.

Enjoying the outdoors and our beautiful lakes can also be therapeutic. Many see a measurable improvement in their health and well-being, especially those struggling with health issues. Because Loren so enjoyed fishing, the outdoors and being a good community member, Let’s Go Fishing became the perfect way to memorialize him. We say “thank you” for thinking of Let’s Go Fishing and we will pay this kind gesture forward.

Let’s Go Fishing Says ‘Thank You’ to United States Veterans

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“Thank you for your service.”

A lot of us say it. To the camouflaged young soldier we pass in the airport, or maybe the older gentleman in the black World War II service cap you see when you visit your grandmother in the nursing home. And we mean it. We might even buy their coffee or offer to let them go to the front of the line at the grocery store.

After all, they have risked or are currently risking life and limb to keep us and countless others around the world free and safe.

Let's Go Fishing - Mercury Marine

But there are a few who go well beyond a cup of coffee or a kind word to honor our United States veterans. The volunteers who give their time and energy to the Let’s Go Fishing (LGF) organization are among those who go the extra mile to honor our veterans, as well as serve the elderly and handicapped in their communities.  Full story at Mercury Mercury Dockline Blog…

Let’s Go Fishing – Bemidji has served more than 5,000

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Let’s Go Fishing Bemidji was formed in 2005. Thanks to donations and grants we are able to offer this program in the Bemidji area. Since our inception, we have purchased and worn out our first pontoon and then purchased a second one.

This program offers seniors, handicapped, veterans and youth the opportunity to get back out on the water to fish or just enjoy a boat ride at no charge. Fishing trips and cruises are scheduled five days per week June through August, providing all equipment needed on our handicapped-accessible 26-foot pontoon. Most trips last 2-3 hours. All this is at no charge to the participant. Since inception, we have taken out over 5,000 people on the pontoon.

The mission of Let’s Go Fishing is to serve older adults, youth, veterans and disabled. Whether they are part of a housing community or still living in their residences, older adults benefit greatly from joining with others and taking a trip on the Let’s Go Fishing pontoon. We have had families taking out senior family members. Seniors doing what they remember doing and thought they would never be able to do it again. We have had individuals with serious health issues who find a reason to smile for the first time in months. Read the full story at Bemidji Pioneer…

Hook, Line and …

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On one Eden Prairie Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing excursions last summer, fisher people caught, and released, an estimated 150 panfish. Needless to say, the fishing/catching was easy.

The Eden Prairie Area Chapter of Let’s Go Fishing, one of 20 such chapters in Minnesota and Wisconsin, got its start at the end of the 2012 season. Its vision is based on the notion that lives can be changed by experiencing the joy and freedom of being out on the water to fish or just enjoy the beauty of a Minnesota lake.

Last year alone, the Eden Prairie chapter guided a record 325 fishing excursions on Riley Lake. In August, it facilitated 450 pontoon rides as part of the city of Eden Prairie’s Riley Lake Park Grand Reopening.

Read the full story online at Eden Prairie News…

Willmar Chapter Launches their 2017 season

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SPICER — Let’s Go Fishing launched its 15th season in a big way this week, and appropriately so. The Willmar chapter has already seen a 41 percent bump in registrations from last year, and it is usually in the next couple of weeks when most of the registration calls will come in, according to Jim Gauss, president of the Willmar chapter. “We’re getting calls from all over the place,” he said.

The calls are welcome, as the chapter is ready for a big year. It has a good group of both new and returning volunteers on deck for the season, although new help is always welcome, he said. The volunteers launched the season Monday and Tuesday by hosting approximately 300 elementary students from the Willmar Public Schools on Green Lake. Three pontoons made a total of 18 trips to give the young students from Kennedy Elementary an opportunity to enjoy time on the water.

They tried their hand at fishing, too. “Not a lot of fish caught, but they had fun,” Gauss said. The volunteers will be hosting elementary students Thursday from Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg and next week from the Prairie Woods Elementary School in New London. Read the full story here…